Three players were ejected Friday in the matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was whistled for an offensive foul as he tried to back down Daniel Gafford with 9:02 left in the third quarter. Nurkic started walking back on defense before appearing to hear something that ticked him off.
Nurkic turned around and began exchanging words with Mavericks wing Naji Marshall. The two got heated, leading Nurkic to slam his palm on Marshall’s head. Marshall retaliated with a right-handed punch as referees tried to get between the two players. Nurkic then got shoved to the ground by Mavs forward PJ Washington.
JUSUF NURKIC VS. NAJI MARSHALL
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 28, 2024
Here’s another angle of the play, which also humorously shows Kyrie Irving looking stunned by what he was seeing.
Kyrie was in shock of what was going on between Jusuf Nurkic and Naji Marshall 😭 pic.twitter.com/fBdX4exQTX
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) December 28, 2024
Nurkic, Marshall, and Washington were all ejected from the game.
Nurkic left the contest with three points, five rebounds, and four turnovers in 14 minutes. His poor play and ongoing rumors that the Suns are looking to trade him may have contributed to his short temper against the Mavericks.
Friday’s contest was the Mavericks’ first since reports emerged that Doncic would be out for an extended period while recovering from his recent calf injury.
Despite missing Doncic, Dallas still came away with a 98-89 win in Phoenix. Four different players scored at least 15 points for the Mavs, led by Irving’s 20-point night.
The Suns and Mavericks have had a few tension-filled clashes over the last few seasons. Friday’s incident wasn’t even the first one involving Nurkic.
